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A Pile of News: June 2025

A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers who comprise PDCA.
By Matt Bisbee, PDCA

Originally sent June 2, 2025

Top of the Pile

• Perpetual Headline  U.S. tariffs have dominated international news. And they impact the driven pile industry. PDCA members have posted opinions to social media, others have made business decisions to mitigate the uncertainty. It's an evolving issue that is updated daily. Stay tuned to your reputable news sources!
• Liberation Education  Two members from Philly law firm Cohen Seglias, Jennifer Budd and Matthew Erlanger, provide a thoughtful legal perspective on the overarching issue to help you understand legal parameters on tariffs. Read that, and more, in the digital edition of the latest PileDriver magazine.
• Alabama Slammin'  We told you last month about a first-of-its-kind, scientific test of tapered steel pile in Mobile, AL. Now underway in the same city is a pile load test program focused on PSC piling. It's part of pre-construction by the JV building a new Mobile Bay Bridge. PDCA members Massman Construction and Kiewit are in the JV, many member engineers and suppliers will be involved in this massive project. ALDOT issues this update.

From the Association & Chapters

Mark your calendars:

• June 18: Texas Chapter Facility Tour & Networking Happy Hour, Baytown. Event starts at 3 PM at Bottom Line Equipment. Happy hour follows at nearby The Barn Whiskey Bar in Mont Belviue.
• June 18 - 20: DFI SuperPile, Hilton Cleveland Downtown, Cleveland, OH. Mohamad Hussein of GRL Engineers, Inc. to deliver venerable Hal Hunt Lecture. PDCA is a cooperating organization.
• July 24: The Seattle Social, FREE reception, 5:307:30 PM: Join us at Freemont Brewing for industry networking, refreshments and a short program about growing PDCA. Membership not required, sponsorships available.

From the piledrivers.org blog:

• Jersey Giants, Blue Hens, Phillie Phanatics  but no birdies on this course. It was the Northeast Chapter Top Golf Meet & Greet/New Member Outreach event. See who was SPOTTED at the annual gathering in Edison, NJ.
• Chairmanship change  Michael Kelly of Beard Construction Group has been appointed chair of the PDCA Safety & Environmental Committee.
• Scholarships available  Students on the West Coast must apply by July 1 to qualify for an award from the Pacific Coast Chapter. The Texas Chapter also offers a scholarship, applications due Aug. 1. Learn more about both.
• Florida Networking Night  The Florida Chapter hosted its first social to build membership. See who attended the free reception in Tampa.
• Houston solved the problem  At its May dinner, South Carolina Chapterpresident Kent Parker had a conflict, so VP Jordan Houston led the meeting that included networking and a program on PSC pile corrosion protection.
• The price is right! Academic and government employees who are stakeholders in deep foundations may join PDCA with no annual dues required.

WINNER: Congratulations, Justin Feder, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of June to claim your prize!

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News from PDCA Companies

Acquisitions & expansions:

• CNT Foundations has been serving the residential and commercial foundation industry for 15+ years. Early this year, it launched commercial-focused brand, CNT Geotechnical, to support commercial foundation needs in the Southeast.
• MEB opens new office in Richmond, VA, with safety training and a celebration.
• Power Engineering Construction opens a Southern California office in Long Beach to provide marine and heavy civil construction services. The Alameda-based company won an E+E Leader Award, which honors sustainability in business and industry. Power adopted a renewable diesel product for its fleet.
• Taylor Marine adds a 660-ton Marine Travelift to its fleet, enhancing barge towing services. Its Houston shipyard is expected to be fully operational in July.
• Ardaman & Associates opens a new geosynthetic testing lab named for 40+ year consultant Tom Ingra, P.E. It also enhanced soil testing apparatus.
• ECS grows ECS Pacific, Inc. through its purchase of DTR Consulting Services.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger opens a Tampa office where Francesco Spagna and Brian Pailes, Ph.D., P.E., will lead the regional engineering practice.

Giving back:

• Bowen works to avoid inconveniencing job site neighbors with simple public relations. PM Mark Cvetkovich delivered a box of Long's Donuts, an Indianapolis favorite, to a small business near one of their road projects.
• SUS gave to educational, environmental, legislative initiatives for the Baltimore Port Alliance. The goodwill came with a good time at the Bull & Oyster Roast.
• Koppers, Inc. is the new sponsor for the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, home to Pittsburgh Penguins and area youth hockey training.
• Locke Solutions hosted a blood drive in Houston, bringing in enough blood to help 126 people. The event honored a customer's daughter who battles cancer.

Recognitions: 

• The Walsh Group tops Crain's Chicago Business list of largest constructors.
• Darkhorse Metals was the feature business story in the Liberty Hill Independent newspaper, serving Central Texas. Owner Mathew Jarvis is quoted throughout, as he details the rise of his growing structural steel and pipe pile company.
• AET provided construction observations, inspections and testing for the Treetop Trail, a new feature at the Minnesota Zoo. The project earned the firm an award for excellence, presented before a coalition of regional peers on a zoo visit.



Governmental relations:

• Kokosing supported Ohio Issue 2 Public Infrastructure, a primary ballot question that passed in May. It sidesteps tax hikes by continuing bond issuance for major infrastructure projects. It had bipartisan support in the legislature.
• Atlas Tube CEO Barry Zekelman told CBS News there are benefits to tariffs on steel imported into America. He says 2018 tariffs resulted in him investing $800M into his companies, building two new mills and modernizing equipment.
• Nucor hosted V.P. Vance and EPA Administrator Zeldin at its Berkeley, SC, steel plant. CEO Leon Topalian and local employees demonstrated the company's commitment to innovation and investment in domestic manufacturing.
• S&ME staff in Huntsville, AL, attended a local Chamber gathering with Gov. Ivey, who updated the business community on critical legislation and issues.

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People on the Move

Transitions:

• Matthew Milton takes the helm of Beard Construction Group in Louisiana. A founding owner, he has helped grow the firm's foundation practice.
• Justin Bright rises to asst. project superintendent at CIANBRO in Virginia.
• Dante Nocito is the newest project manager and estimator at Bridgeport, NJ-based Commerce Construction Corporation.
• Doug Morrison, P.E., elevates to VP, Operations-North, where he will guide New England work for Sargent. Justin Porter is new VP for the South, leading the Mid-Atlantic, where James O'Connor becomes superintendent.
• Mac Rotan is promoted to VP, Purchasing & Operations, at Apex Steel Pipe & Piling in Houston.
• Martin Arcand of GILBERT Products is now manager, Market Development and Customer Experience, for the Quebec-based equipment supplier.
• Chris Marischen rises to VP, Sales at John Lawrie Tubulars USA in Houston. David Proctor is appointed to serve as the piling supplier's CFO.
• Hal Mulveney thanks his "network" in his parting message from Samuel Roll Form Group. He steps away after 32 years to pursue a new opportunity.
• Darren Conner, P.E., is the new COO at Dewberry, where he previously served as president of engineering. Dave Maxwell, P.E., succeeds him as president of engineering. Also promoted were Dave Mahoney, P.E., and Phil Thiel.
• Sam Salmani joins GeoEngineers, Inc. in San Diego as a staff geotech.

Recognitions:

• Pat Gunter celebrates 40 years at Boh Bros. Construction. He and colleagues Tony Jambon, Jr. (35), Herb Firmin (30) and Barbara Costley (25) were guests of honor at a company crawfish boil in Baton Rouge.
• Andrea Colson from Trevcon Construction and their Elizabeth, NJ, yard crew inspired some future builders after hosting Bring Your Kids to Work Day, where pizza, construction Lego and heavy equipment were highlights.
• Jesse Riedmiller, a superintendent and pile driver in Veit foundations, won a quarterly safety award. She was nominated by Minneapolis peers.
• Wayne Mullen, manager of the Big Bear Pipe & Steel fabrication shop, celebrates 40 years with the SoCal supplier.
• Whitney Brown, asst. controller at Canal Barge Company in New Orleans, earns a 40 Under 40 honor from the 2025 Inland Marine Expo.
• Phillip Schoope, Derek Brodnax from Service Steel Warehouse comprised the winning team at an industry clay shoot in Houston.
• Walter Dinicola, P.E., principal at Anchor QEA in Baltimore, was elected Fellow with ASCE, a feat only 3% of the international membership achieves.
• Michael DePiero of EXP teamed up with John McLean from SGH to co-author Dynamic Loading on Submerged Components for civil + structural Engineer.
• Les Chernauskas from GTR-Geosciences Testing and Research mentored a student team from UMass Lowell in a regional construction industry competition, Also, John Regan, P.E., from the firm has been inducted into The Moles.
• Isabella Kennedy of GZA GeoEnvironmental in Boston will ride her bike 190 miles to raise funds for cancer research in the Aug. 23 Pan-Mass Challenge.
• Alexandra Willey, P.E., an associate at H&H in New York City, is a finalist for the ACEC Young Professional of the Year award. Also, Lee Adams, P.E.,received the ESGR Patriotic Employer Award for supporting Lt. Peter Bailey at the firm.
• Sitotaw Y. Fantaye, P.E., is the 2025 Construction Engineer of the Year, according to a New Jersey industry group. Congrats to the associate at MRCE.
• Ernie Wilson reaches 43 years of employment with Southern Earth Sciences in the New Orleans office. Colleague Shane George in Destin marks 31 years.
• Dr. Simon Ghanat, P.E., promoted to professor, LTC rank at The Citadel.

In sympathy:

• Peter San Miguel III, 19672025 is fondly remembered by friends and colleagues at R.E. Pierson Construction in Woodstown, NJ, as a "true leader" and "mentor to many." He spent over 20 years with the company and helped build the survey dept. PDCA extends sympathies to Pete's surviving family.

On the Job

Kokosing will install upwards of 170, 20-inch square PSC piles (80 to 130 feet in length) for the Wallops Island Causeway bridge replacement, modernizing access to the NASA Flight Facility off Virginia's coast. They purchased a hydraulic impact hammer and an ICE vibro from Jinnings Equipment for this project, which begins this month.

Sealevel Construction crews are outside of New Orleans building an access bridge with sheet pile from Meever USA; it's part of a drainage improvement initiative.

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Notes from the Field

NFL  Did you know that a 1955 draft pick by Cleveland from Notre Dame went on to start a civil construction operation in Alaska, and eventually became a silent partner in PND Engineers? Read the fascinating story about Paul Reynolds who, early on, connected with the founders Roy Peratrovich and Dennis Nottingham.

Original Football  That's the contention of the folks across the pond, when talking soccer. THI Pipe & Piling has ties to England and its legacy team Brentwood Town FC. The Houston pipe supplier sponsored the club's Veteran's Team this season.

Wins in Winnipeg (not Dallas)  PileDriver magazine publisher Jill Harris attended the second game of the NHL Western Conference semis, when her beloved Jets blanked Dallas. However, the Stars took the series for a spot in hockey's final four.

Miami Vice  Formula 1 is reaching popularity of pickleball proportions in the U.S. Among the die-hards is PDCA board member and GZA GeoEnvironmental principal Brad Roberts, down from Boston and spotted trackside at Miami's race in May.

NASCAR Cup contender Ryan Preece partners with Connecticut-based contractor Mohawk Northeast for three races this summer; the PDCA member will proudly be displayed on the driver for races at Iowa, Watkins Glen and New Hampshire.

Nothing finer  A May race in North Wilkesboro, NC, saw driver Dylon Wilson compete with an S&ME, Inc. logo on his hood. During qualifying, he hung out trackside with firm staffers Doug Eller, Reed Smith, Steve Leonard and Trent Beaver.

The Devil Named Music  It was Battle of the Bands at a New Jersey engineer's fundraiser for a scholarship program. Haley & Aldrich employee Mark Pietrucha, P.E., was on vocals and guitar with Mark Fisher on skins. See the video clip, not bad!

Nashville Star  Music City was the venue for the USI Insurance corporate meeting; firm VP and PDCA member Janice Graziosi competed on stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame as Red Solo Cup songwriters,The Warren Brothers, served as judges.

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